Maquan Pond and Cranberry Cove

1 Camp Kiwanee Rd, Hanson, MA 02341, USA

Town of Hanson: (781) 293-5186

cranberrycove@hanson-ma.gov

https://officialcampkiwanee.com/cranberry-cove/

Owned By: Town of Hanson

• Directions

Cranberry Cove is a seasonal swimming beach on Maquan Pond in Hanson. The property provides year-round car-top boat access, but gas motors are prohibited. Stop here for seasonal ice skating. Directly adjacent to Camp Kiwanee and the Alton J. Smith Reserve.

Maquan Pond is one of the Great Ponds of Massachusetts. Defined as a natural body of water larger than 10 acres, a Great Pond is held in trust by the state for public use.

FISHING ADVISORY: It’s important to know that some of our freshwater fisheries are contaminated with mercury, PFAS and/or other concerning substances. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health maintains an online database with up-to-date advisories regarding fish consumption, sorted by location. We recommend you consult this valuable resource when planning a fishing excursion.

Features

Since the 1940s, families have been enjoying Cranberry Cove on Maquan Pond in Hanson. Swimming lessons and kayak rentals are available in season. Rafts and other recreational floats are prohibited.

This land is within the region of the Massachusett (or Massachuseuk) Native American tribe. The Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett lived for thousands of years in the North River watershed. Their village included most of today’s Pembroke and Hanson.

To travel between the North River watershed and the Taunton River watershed, the Mattakeeset followed a trail that extended from today’s Indian Head Pond (accessible from Maquan Pond via the adjacent Alton J. Smith Reserve) to Crooker Place and today’s Indian Crossway Conservation Area, through the great Cedar Swamp (today’s Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area), through today’s Smith-Nawazelski Conservation Area (Elm Street, Hanson) to East Bridgewater and the Taunton River watershed.

To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag and the Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett share information on their websites.

Trail Description

There are no trails at Cranberry Cove, but if you’d like to take a walk, visit the Alton J. Smith Reserve, immediately adjacent.

Habitats and Wildlife

The water in Maquan Pond is acidic, so fishing is poor except for pickerel, small yellow perch and pumpkinseeds.

Maquan Pond is a tributary to Furnace Pond and Indian Head Brook. Indian Head Brook is a major tributary to the Indian Head River.

The Indian Head River forms the boundary between Hanover and Hanson, and merges with Pembroke’s Herring Brook, a short distance downstream of Ludden’s Ford Park, to form the North River at a spot called The Crotch. The North River flows 12 miles through Pembroke, Hanover, Norwell, Marshfield and Scituate, eventually making its way to Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.